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Devotional for April 6, 2020

Always in Process

"Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV)


One of the struggles of life is that nothing remains the same, and that things are constantly changing. On the other hand, one of the great comforts of life is that nothing remains the same, and things are constantly changing. Everything is changing and transforming all the time - and often for the better. There are signs that the situation as we know it is somewhat improving. People are recovering from the coronavirus. People are still being provided with what they need, even in times of want. The air is becoming cleaner because of the less frequent travel and other reasons related to various stay-at-home orders. Nature itself is transforming, as trees begin to bud, flowers begin to bloom, new animals are born, and plants begin to grow. 

And the best of all, is that God is always active and involved. He is the one who causes the seasons to change. He is the one who provides hope in the midst of disaster. He is the one who transforms catastrophe into blessing. He is the one who works in the midst of every event, every season, every occurrence, to accomplish His plan and purpose. Right now life and nature are in a process, a process of change and transformation. God is working to bring about change and transformation, and make things better than they were before. Nothing remains static - everything is always in process.

Indeed, this week we celebrate the process by which God definitely transformed everything for the better. He caused His Son, who had been born as a human being over thirty years earlier, to die on a cross, offering Himself as a sacrifice for sin; and then to rise again, destroying the power and permanence of death. It was a process He had initiated since the beginning of time, by populating the earth with humanity, choosing a certain group of people for His own, and causing His Son to be the Savior born from that certain group of people. He had proved over and over again that He was always faithful and loving, by saving His people from slavery, destruction, and exile. He ultimately proved that His love and favor is not just for a certain group of people, but for the whole world. He loves the world He made, and so He is still transforming it. He loves all people, and so He is showing His care for all people. And just as He was faithful and loving then, He is faithful and loving now. He caused everything to happen at just the right time, whether it was saving His people, or sending His Son. He caused His process to unfold at just the right time. His timing was perfect, and always is.

We can still trust God, and trust that we are in the midst of His process, and He is working things out for good. We can trust that God has a plan, and He is causing His process to unfold, even right in front of us. We can trust God's timing because He has proven to be trustworthy again and again. We can trust God because He has shown He loves us and cares for us. We can trust God, because He has everything well in hand.

Dear God, thank you that with you everything is changing and transforming, and you are always making things better. Help me to trust your timing and process. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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